System, method and apparatus for cannabinoid tincture separation and solvent recovery

ABSTRACT

A system for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent has a vessel for a mixture of cannabinoids and solvent. A pump forms a vacuum in the system to draw the mixture into a first heat exchanger to pre-heat the mixture. A falling film evaporator receives the mixture from the first heat exchanger, and boils the mixture to form a solvent vapor. The falling film evaporator collects the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil. The first heat exchanger receives the solvent vapor. Heat is transferred to incoming mixture of the system, and cools and condenses the solvent vapor to form solvent condensate and vapor. A second heat exchanger receives and further cools the solvent condensate and vapor to form further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor. The pump receives the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor and increases pressure to form solvent liquid and recovers solvent liquid for reuse.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/837,776, filed Apr. 1, 2020, which claimspriority to and the benefit of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 62/827,426,filed Apr. 1, 2019. Both applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure generally relates to processing plant material.More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a continuoussystem, method and apparatus for separating plant products from solvent,and recovering the solvent for reuse.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hashish is a consumable cannabis concentrate composed of compressed,cannabinoid-rich resin glands, called trichomes. The trichomes are foundon the flowers, and to a lesser extent, in the stems and leaves of theplant.

Historically, separating the cannabinoids from the plant has been verydifficult as the cannabinoid resin is quite sticky. Processers of theseplants use solvents to assist in the separation or extraction of thecannabinoids. Examples of the solvents include alcohol, such as ethanol.The resulting product is a cannabinoid mixture, such as a solution ortincture, having cannabinoids contained in the solvent liquid.Subsequent steps include separating the cannabinoids from the solvent,which can be challenging and are usually very inefficient and energyintensive. Conventional processes generally rely on a distillationmethod that generates so much heat that a large chiller is required toneutralize the heat. The chiller consumes significant energy to safelycomplete the processing. Although these solutions are workable,improvements in processing plant material continue to be of interest.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of a system, method and apparatus for processing plantmaterial are disclosed. For example, a system for processingcannabinoids and recovering solvent can include a vessel configured tocontain a mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent. A pump can beconfigured to form a vacuum in the system to draw the mixture into afirst heat exchanger configured to pre-heat the mixture to less than aboiling point of the solvent. A falling film evaporator can beconfigured to receive the mixture from the first heat exchanger, heatthe mixture above the boiling point of the solvent, and boil the mixtureto form a solvent vapor. The falling film evaporator can be configuredto collect the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil. The firstheat exchanger can be configured to receive the solvent vapor. Thesystem can be configured to transfer heat to incoming mixture of thesystem, thereby configured to cool and condense the solvent vapor to notgreater than the boiling point of the solvent to form solvent condensateand vapor. A second heat exchanger can be configured to receive andfurther cool the solvent condensate and vapor to form further condensedsolvent and some solvent vapor. In addition, the pump can be configuredto receive the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor andincrease pressure to increase the boiling point of the solvent to formsolvent liquid, such that the system is configured to recover solventliquid for reuse.

In another example, a method for processing cannabinoids and recoveringsolvent can be provided. The method can include forming a mixturecomprising cannabinoids and solvent; using a pump to form a vacuum in asystem, drawing the mixture into a first heat exchanger and pre-heatingthe mixture to less than a boiling point of the solvent; drawing themixture into a falling film evaporator, heating the mixture above theboiling point of the solvent, and boiling the mixture to form a solventvapor; collecting the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil at abottom of the falling film evaporator; drawing the solvent vapor to thefirst heat exchanger; transferring heat to incoming mixture of thesystem, thereby cooling and condensing the solvent vapor to not greaterthan the boiling point of the solvent to form solvent condensate andvapor; drawing and further cooling the solvent condensate and vapor in asecond heat exchanger to form further condensed solvent and some solventvapor; drawing the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor tothe pump and increasing pressure to increase the boiling point of thesolvent to form solvent liquid; and then drawing the solvent liquid to athird heat exchanger, cooling the solvent liquid and recovering thecooled solvent liquid for reuse.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present disclosure may be derivedby referring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the figures, wherein like reference numbers refer tosimilar items throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of components of a system forprocessing plant material.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of components of the systemand the flow of fluids between them.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the process.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment of components and theirconnections.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a falling film evaporatorsystem.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a liquid ring pumpsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part of the disclosure. The drawingsshow by way of illustration, and not of limitation, embodiments by whichthe disclosure may be practiced. The drawings, the foregoing discussion,and the following description are exemplary and explanatory only. Theyare not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure or its applicationin any manner.

FIGS. 1-6 illustrate embodiments of a system, method and apparatus forprocessing plant material. For example, the system can include a fallingfilm evaporator 101, and one or more heat exchangers (e.g., three shown)102, 103, and 104. In some versions, the equipment can include a hotwater heater 405 (FIG. 4), a water cooler 406, a chiller 407 and a pump105. Examples of these components can be connected by conduits, such asstainless steel tubing 106 (FIG. 1), such as commercially available 316LSS sanitary tubing and fittings. One example of FFE 101 can be a GEAFalling Film Evaporator from Columbia, MD. Examples of the heatexchanges 102, 103, 104 can include Plate Heat Exchangers, Model #Alfallova 76-30H of Alfa Laval Inc. in Richmond, Va. One example of hotwater heater 405 can be a Mokon Duratherm Model-DT Series, of Buffalo,N.Y. An example of water cooler 406 can be a MTA TAEevoTech 051, ofAmherst, N.Y. One example of chiller 407 can be a PolyScience Durachill6800, of Niles, Ill. An example of the pump 105 can be a FlowserveLiquid Ring Pump series SiHI LPHX/LPH, of Irvine, Tex.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 depict some versions of the process and equipment.Embodiments of the cannabinoid mixture 510 (FIG. 4), such as a solutionor tincture, which can be pre-filtered, can be connected to the firstheat exchanger (HE1) 102. Examples of the pump 105 can pull a vacuum onportions or all of the system, which can be a closed loop system, oreven consist of a closed loop system. The pump 105 can move thecannabinoid mixture 510 into HE1 102. HE1 102 can be heated usingsolvent vapor 511 from the falling film evaporator 101. HE1 102 canpre-heat the cannabinoid mixture 510 to below its boiling point (e.g.,approximately 70 degrees C.) in one example. The pre-heated cannabinoidmixture 510 can be drawn into the top of the falling film evaporator101.

As shown in FIG. 5, embodiments of the falling film evaporator 101 caninclude a metering valve 501, a container (e.g., cylinder) 502,evaporation tubes 504 and a distribution mechanism 505. The evaporationtubes 504 can extend along the length of the cylinder 502. An externalheater 405 can provide heated water or other liquid that can becirculated around the evaporation tubes 504, such as around theirexteriors. The system can be sealed such that the vacuum drawn by thepump 105 pulls the cannabinoid mixture 510 into the system. Thecannabinoid mixture 510 can go through the metering valve 501 and theninto the distribution mechanism 505, which can evenly distribute thecannabinoid mixture 510 among the heated evaporation tubes 504. This canform a laminar flow along interior walls of the evaporation tubes 504.As the cannabinoid mixture 510 falls through the evaporation tubes 504,thin films of the cannabinoid mixture 510 are formed. The solvent canexceed its boiling point and can boil off into a complete solvent vapor.The remaining cannabinoid material can then flow down and out of thefalling film evaporator 101 in the form of cannabinoid crude oil 512.

In some embodiments, the solvent 511 that now can be in a substantiallyvapor form or complete vapor stream, can be drawn from the falling filmevaporator 101 by the vacuum from pump 105 and into HE1 102. Thissolvent 511 can be used to pre-heat subsequent cannabinoid mixture 510that is being fed into the system. The solvent 511 can be drawn furtherthrough the process toward the pump 105. At this point, the solvent 511may be passed through a second heat exchanger (HE2) 103 to cool it inpreparation for entry into the pump 105. The HE2 103 is optional. It canbe included depending on, for example, the efficiency of the overallsystem and the boiling point of the solvent 511 that is selected.

Examples of the pump 105 can include a commercially available liquidring distillation pump. Such a pump can have high vacuum performance forliquid and vapor. For example, the pump 105 can be capable of forming avacuum of about 22 to about 29 inches of mercury or Hg (200 to 20 Torr).Other suitable pumps can be used. If a liquid ring distillation pump isused, the liquid 514 used for the ring in the pump 105 can be the samematerial as the solvent 511. Such a selection can help ensure that thesolvent 511 is not contaminated with any other foreign material.However, a different liquid or a different concentration of the solventcan be used. The liquid 514 supplied for a liquid ring pump can becooled by a chiller 407. Examples of the chiller 407 can be a glycolcooled chiller for enhanced efficiency. In the event that a differenttype of pump is used, an appropriate cooling system may be used toappropriately cool and condense the mixture.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the liquid flow when a liquid ringpump is used. For example, the impeller 602 of the pump 105 can bepositioned eccentric to the centerline of the pump body. The pump 105can perform a centrifugal action to circulate the internal liquid 514 asa liquid ring 601 and pull a vacuum on the inlet line. In some versions,this action can drive the entire movement of the cannabinoid mixture 510through the system after processing through the falling film evaporator101. See, e.g., FIG. 3. Portion of the contents or the entire contentsof the system can be moved by the action of the pump, drawn or pulled bythe vacuum, and/or evacuated into subsequent components of the system.Alternatively, one or more other pumps may be used as well.

Embodiments of the output 513 from the pump 105 can be the solvent 511in liquid form at about 10 to about 20 degrees C., and at atmosphericpressure. However, the output 513 also may have some remaining vapor.The output 513 can then be processed through a third heat exchanger(HE3) 104. HE3 104 can help keep vapor from escaping from the system. Inone version, HE3 104 can comprise or consist of a closed loop systemthat condenses any remaining vapors to recover as much of the originalliquid solvent 511 as possible. Although a liquid ring pump has beenshown and described, any suitable pump type may be used to draw theliquid and vapor through the system. In an example, the pump 105 cancondense the solvent to form a mostly liquid mixture.

Many modifications and variations of this invention may be made withoutdeparting from its spirit and scope, as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. For example, the specific temperatures in theforegoing discussion have been optimized for use of ethanol as thesolvent, however, any other solvent may be used, and the various stepsmay be adjusted to optimize for that solvent. The specific embodimentsdescribed herein are offered by way of example only. The embodimentswere chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theinvention and its practiced applications.

This disclosure can provide a more energy efficient process that notonly separates the cannabinoids from the solvent, but also allowsrecovery of the solvent itself so that it can be reused. When usingethanol as the solvent, embodiments can recover 95% or more of theethanol by volume. In addition, greater energy efficiency can be gainedby re-purposing heat used by the system with one or more heatexchangers. For further efficiency, the process can be operatedcontinuously, as a steady flow, rather than as a batch process.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can include a method and apparatusthat separates cannabinoids from a solvent using a falling filmevaporator in conjunction with a liquid ring or other commerciallyavailable pump. The process can begin after a solvent, such as ethanol,is used to form a cannabinoid tincture. In an example, a self-primingpump can be used to draw a vacuum on the system, and move the pre-heatedmixture into a heat exchanger and then into a falling film evaporator.The heat exchanger can pre-heat the subsequent mixture to, in oneversion, approximately 70 degrees C. Embodiments of the pre-heat stepcan include a temperature in a range of about 40 to about 90 degrees C.,or a range of about 50 to about 55 degrees C. Embodiments of thepressure of the pre-heat step can be in a range of about 22 to about 29inches Hg (200 to 20 Torr), or in a range of about 25 to about 28 inchesHg (125 to 50 Torr), or about 26 inches Hg (100 Torr).

In the falling film evaporator, the mixture can be heated above theboiling point of the solvent. In the case of ethanol, this can beapproximately 90 degrees C., in one embodiment. With the solvent boiledoff, the purified cannabinoid crude oil can be separated out andsiphoned off the bottom of the falling film evaporator. Examples of thesolvent vapor can be moved by the vacuum of the pump back into theinitial heat exchanger to provide pre-heating for subsequent mixturethat is being fed into the system.

In some embodiments, the mixture from the heating side of an initialheat exchanger can be a mixture of solvent vapor and condensate. Forethanol, one version of the temperature can be close to its boilingpoint at a selected pressure. For example, the temperature can beapproximately 78 degrees C., which is the boiling point at atmosphericpressure. The liquid and vapor solvent can be drawn by the pump vacuumthrough another heat exchanger. The liquid and vapor solvent can becooled via water or another coolant of the second heat exchanger, tocool and further condense the solvent to its liquid form. For ethanol,the mixture from the heat exchanger can be approximately 50 degrees C.,in one version. The cooled solvent from this second heat exchanger canbe circulated directly into the pump for collection, further condensing,etc. The liquid and vapor solvent can be primarily liquid, but it alsocan have remaining solvent in vapor form. It can be routed to a finalheat exchanger that converts any remaining solvent vapor to liquidsolvent. The liquid solvent from the final heat exchanger can besubstantially pure or pure solvent condensate in liquid form at, forexample, room temperature. The recovered liquid solvent can then bereused as needed.

Other embodiments can include one or more of the following items.

A system for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent, the systemcomprising:

a vessel configured to contain a mixture comprising cannabinoids andsolvent;

a pump configured to form a vacuum in the system to draw the mixtureinto a first heat exchanger configured to pre-heat the mixture to lessthan a boiling point of the solvent;

a falling film evaporator configured to receive the mixture from thefirst heat exchanger, heat the mixture above the boiling point of thesolvent, and boil the mixture to form a solvent vapor, and the fallingfilm evaporator is configured to collect the cannabinoids from themixture as a crude oil;

the first heat exchanger is configured to receive the solvent vapor, thesystem is configured to transfer heat to incoming mixture of the system,thereby configured to cool and condense the solvent vapor to not greaterthan the boiling point of the solvent to form solvent condensate andvapor;

a second heat exchanger configured to receive and further cool thesolvent condensate and vapor to form further condensed solvent and somesolvent vapor; and the pump is configured to receive the furthercondensed solvent and some solvent vapor and increase pressure toincrease the boiling point of the solvent to form solvent liquid, suchthat the system is configured to recover solvent liquid for reuse.

The system of any of these items, further comprising a third heatexchanger configured to receive and cool the solvent liquid, such thatthe system is configured to recover the cooled solvent liquid for reuse.

The system of any of these embodiments, wherein the third heat exchangeris configured to operate at a temperature in a range of about 10 toabout 20 degrees C.

The system of any of these items, wherein the pump is configured tooperate at a temperature in a range of about 40 to about 90 degrees C.

The system of any of these items, wherein the pump is configured tooperate at a pressure in a range of about 22 to about 29 inches of Hg.

The system of any of these items, further comprising a pump manifoldconfigured to be coupled between the pump and the second heat exchanger,and a holding vessel configured to retain the cannabinoid crude oil,wherein the holding vessel is configured to be coupled between thefalling film evaporator and the pump.

The system of any of these items, wherein the pump is configured toprovide circulation of every fluid throughout the system.

The system of any of these items, wherein the pump consists of a liquidring pump, and the liquid ring pump is the only pump used in the system.

The system of any of these items, further comprising a feed pump and adischarge pump.

A method for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent, the methodcomprising:

forming a mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent;

using a pump to form a vacuum in a system, drawing the mixture into afirst heat exchanger and pre-heating the mixture to less than a boilingpoint of the solvent;

drawing the mixture into a falling film evaporator, heating the mixtureabove the boiling point of the solvent, and boiling the mixture to forma solvent vapor;

collecting the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil at a bottomof the falling film evaporator;

drawing the solvent vapor to the first heat exchanger;

transferring heat to incoming mixture of the system, thereby cooling andcondensing the solvent vapor to not greater than the boiling point ofthe solvent to form solvent condensate and vapor;

drawing and further cooling the solvent condensate and vapor in a secondheat exchanger to form further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor;

drawing the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor to the pumpand increasing pressure to increase the boiling point of the solvent toform solvent liquid; and then

drawing the solvent liquid to a third heat exchanger, cooling thesolvent liquid and recovering the cooled solvent liquid for reuse.

The process of any of these items, wherein an operating temperature ofstep (b) is about 40 to about 90 degrees C.

The process of any of these items, wherein an operating temperature ofstep (b) is about 50 to about 55 degrees C.

The process of any of these items, wherein an operating pressure of step(b) is about 22 to about 29 inches of Hg.

The process of any of these items, wherein an operating pressure of step(b) is about 25 to about 28 inches of Hg.

The process of any of these items, wherein step (d) comprises drawingthe crude oil into a holding vessel coupled between the falling filmevaporator and the pump, and further comprising a pump manifold coupledbetween the pump and the second heat exchanger.

The system of any of these items, further comprising a pump manifoldconfigured to be coupled between the pump and the second heat exchanger,and a holding vessel configured to retain the cannabinoid crude oil,wherein the holding vessel is configured to be coupled between the FFEand the pump.

The process of any of these items, wherein the pump circulates everyfluid throughout the system.

The process of any of these items, wherein the pump consists of a liquidring pump, and the liquid ring pump is the only pump used in the method.

The process of any of these items, further comprising a feed pump and adischarge pump.

The process of any of these items, wherein step (i) comprises operatingin a temperature in a range of about 10 to about 20 degrees C.

A continuous method for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent,the method comprising:

(a) forming a mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent;

(b) using a liquid ring pump to form a vacuum in a closed loop system,drawing the mixture into a first heat exchanger and pre-heating themixture to less than a boiling point of the solvent;

(c) drawing the mixture into a falling film evaporator, heating themixture above the boiling point of the solvent, and boiling the mixtureto form a solvent vapor;

(d) collecting the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil at abottom of the falling film evaporator;

(e) drawing the solvent vapor to the first heat exchanger;

(f) transferring heat to incoming mixture of the closed loop system,thereby cooling and condensing the solvent vapor to not greater than theboiling point of the solvent to form solvent condensate and vapor;

(g) drawing and further cooling the solvent condensate and vapor in asecond heat exchanger to form further condensed solvent and some solventvapor;

(h) drawing the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor to theliquid ring pump and increasing pressure to increase the boiling pointof the solvent to form solvent liquid; and then

(i) drawing the solvent liquid to a third heat exchanger, cooling thesolvent liquid and recovering the cooled solvent liquid for reuse.

This written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments,including the best mode, and also to enable those of ordinary skill inthe art to make and use the invention. The patentable scope is definedby the claims, and can include other examples that occur to thoseskilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within thescope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differfrom the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalentstructural elements with insubstantial differences from the literallanguages of the claims.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the generaldescription or the examples are required, that a portion of a specificactivity may not be required, and that one or more further activitiescan be performed in addition to those described. Still further, theorder in which activities are listed are not necessarily the order inwhich they are performed.

In the foregoing specification, the concepts have been described withreference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in theart appreciates that various modifications and changes can be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in theclaims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and allsuch modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofinvention.

It can be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document. The term “communicate,” aswell as derivatives thereof, encompasses both direct and indirectcommunication. The term “discreet,” as well as derivatives thereof,references to the amount of skin exposed by a user of the garment,rather than the type of style of the garment. The terms “include” and“comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion withoutlimitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase“associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, can mean to include,be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within,connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperatewith, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have,have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. Thephrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means thatdifferent combinations of one or more of the listed items can be used,and only one item in the list can be needed. For example, “at least oneof: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, Aand B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

Also, the use of “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements andcomponents described herein. This is done merely for convenience and togive a general sense of the scope of the invention. This descriptionshould be read to include one or at least one and the singular alsoincludes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

The description in the present application should not be read asimplying that any particular element, step, or function is an essentialor critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scopeof patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims.Moreover, none of the claims invokes 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) with respect toany of the appended claims or claim elements unless the exact words“means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim,followed by a participle phrase identifying a function.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have beendescribed above with regard to specific embodiments. However, thebenefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that cancause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, sacrosanctor an essential feature of any or all the claims.

After reading the specification, skilled artisans will appreciate thatcertain features are, for clarity, described herein in the context ofseparate embodiments, can also be provided in combination in a singleembodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity,described in the context of a single embodiment, can also be providedseparately or in any subcombination. Further, references to valuesstated in ranges include each and every value within that range.

As used herein, the term “about” or “approximately” applies to allnumeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These termsgenerally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art wouldconsider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the samefunction or result). In many instances these terms may include numbersthat are rounded to the nearest significant figure. As used herein, theterms “substantial” and “substantially” means, when comparing variousparts to one another, that the parts being compared are equal to or areso close enough in dimension that one skill in the art would considerthe same. Substantial and substantially, as used herein, are not limitedto a single dimension and specifically include a range of values forthose parts being compared. The range of values, both above and below(e.g., “+/−” or greater/lesser or larger/smaller), includes a variancethat one skilled in the art would know to be a reasonable tolerance forthe parts mentioned.

The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles andvarious embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations andmodifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once theabove disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the followingclaims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for processing cannabinoids andrecovering solvent, the system comprising: a vessel configured tocontain a mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent; a pump configuredto form a vacuum in the system and draw the mixture into a first heatexchanger to pre-heat the mixture; an evaporator assembly configured toreceive the mixture from the first heat exchanger, heat the mixtureabove the boiling point of the solvent, and boil the mixture to form asolvent vapor, and the evaporator assembly is configured to collect thecannabinoids from the mixture as a cannabinoid crude oil; the first heatexchanger is configured to receive the solvent vapor, such that thesystem is configured to transfer heat to an incoming mixture of thesystem, and cool and condense the solvent vapor to form solventcondensate and vapor; a second heat exchanger configured to receive andfurther cool the solvent condensate and vapor to form further condensedsolvent; and the pump is configured to receive the further condensedsolvent and increase pressure to increase a boiling point of the solventto form solvent liquid, and the system is configured to recover thesolvent liquid for reuse; wherein the first heat exchanger receives themixture from the vessel and heats the mixture to an increasedtemperature relative to the temperature of the mixture in the vessel;wherein the first heat exchanger outputs the mixture at the increasedtemperature to the evaporator assembly; and wherein the first heatexchanger receives the solvent vapor from the evaporator assembly afterthe mixture was heated by the first heat exchanger.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a third heat exchanger configured to receivethe solvent liquid from the pump and further cool the solvent liquid. 3.The system of claim 2, wherein the third heat exchanger is configured tooperate in a temperature range of about 10 to about 20 degrees C.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the pump is configured to operate at apressure in a range of about 22 to about 29 inches of Hg.
 5. The systemof claim 1, further comprising a pump manifold coupled between the pumpand the second heat exchanger, and a holding vessel configured to retainthe cannabinoid crude oil, wherein the holding vessel is coupled betweenthe evaporator assembly and the pump.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe pump is configured to provide circulation throughout the system. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the pump is the only pump in the systemsuch that the system has no other pump.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the pump consists of a liquid ring pump, and the liquid ringpump is the only pump in the system.
 9. The system of claim 1, whereinthe pump is configured to operate in a temperature range of about 40 toabout 90 degrees C.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second heatexchanger receives the solvent condensate and vapor after the solventcondensate and vapor was formed by the first heat exchanger.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the pump receives the further condensedsolvent from the second heat exchanger, and wherein the pump isdownstream from the first heat exchanger, the evaporator assembly, andthe second heat exchanger.
 12. A system for processing cannabinoids andrecovering solvent, the system comprising: a vessel configured tocontain a mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent; a pump configuredto draw the mixture into a heat exchanger to pre-heat the mixture; anevaporator assembly configured to receive the mixture from the heatexchanger, heat the mixture above the boiling point of the solvent, andboil the mixture to form a solvent vapor, and the evaporator assembly isconfigured to collect the cannabinoids from the mixture as a cannabinoidcrude oil; the heat exchanger is configured to cool and condense thesolvent vapor to form solvent condensate and vapor; the system isconfigured to cool the solvent condensate and vapor to form furthercondensed solvent; and the pump is configured to receive the furthercondensed solvent and increase pressure to increase the boiling point ofthe solvent to form solvent liquid, such that the system is configuredto recover solvent liquid for reuse.
 13. The system of claim 12, furthercomprising another heat exchanger configured to receive and cool thesolvent liquid.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the pump isconfigured to operate in a pressure range of about 22 to about 29 inchesof Hg.
 15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a holding vesselto retain the cannabinoid crude oil.
 16. The system of claim 12, furthercomprising a pump manifold coupled to the pump.
 17. The system of claim12, wherein the pump is configured to provide circulation throughout thesystem.
 18. The system of claim 12, wherein the pump is the only pump inthe system such that the system has no other pump.
 19. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the pump consists of a liquid ring pump, and theliquid ring pump is the only pump in the system.
 20. The system of claim12, wherein the pump is configured to operate in a temperature range ofabout 40 to about 90 degrees C.